Antique Book Problems and Flaws GUIDE (Repost)

Antique Problems

Old and collectable books can suffer from a whole host of problems that may reduce the value significantly.
When a collector buys a book they often search for the best condition book; the copy that is closest to how it would have been when first published.

Listed below are a few of the more common problems affecting old books - look out for these and remember that some books can still hold value despite such flaws but many will suffer drops in value because of it.

Separation of Boards

Some older books have separated into two or three parts - here the front and back boards (or covers) come away completely from the text block. In this case books are rarely worth much unless rare or pre 1800

No Dust Jacket

A book without a Dust Jacket is not always worthless - in most cases the D/J just adds considerable value to a book that may already hold some value.
In 40's to 50's books having a D/J generally makes your book saleable and pre 1930's books with dust jackets are often collectable.

Remember that the D/J can in fact protect the covers of the book as per it's original use and as such books with them are likely to be in better condition than those without.

Missing Front Paper

Some books have had the first few blank pages removed - often due to an inscription or book plate. It is always wise to leave the book complete however.
Books missing such pages do not usually drop too much of their value.

Disbound

A disbound book is separate from the covers - the text block no longer stays attached to the boards. These books are often valueless unless extremely rare or if you are willing to pay a professional to repair the book.

Stamps

Books with stamps are often less desirable due to the fact that they have been in a library or institution of some sort.

In some cases they can hold a little interest/ bring provenance to the book.

Ex - Libris

Ex- Library books are often  ones to stay clear of. With stamps, stickers, writing and other damage these copies are only worth buying or collecting if they are particularly rare or old or sought after.

Browning

A book with browning is usually just an antique book.
Browning in the pages is sometimes due to paper quality and other times down to tobacco staining or other environmental situations.

Inscription

Inscriptions are common and usually not a problem UNLESS they cover text or feature on an important page. The example below shows a name written on the Title Page - arguably the most important page of the book. This decreases the value a fair amount.

Creasing

Usually irreversible, creasing can lower the value of a book to an extent.

Self Repair

When a book is damaged and someone has attempted to repair it in an amateur way as seen below, the effect is often worse than had they left the book alone!
Leave it to the experts if the book is valuable enough. Otherwise stay clear or keep for personal reading.

Cracking hinges

The front and rear inner
In many old copies, the binding can be seen due to cracking of the hinge. Whilst this is not always a problem it can lead to more serious weakness in the book and so often is wise to stay clear of.

hinge is often a place that can suffer wear and tear.

Foxing

Foxing is the bane of any book collector's life.

Mny books have it - it is simply an age and storage related problem resulting in brown spots appearing throughout the book. Sometimes this is only in the first few pages, sometimes it is only on the edges of the pages but it always lowers the value by a small amount at least

And there we have it!
I have tried to include as many problems as I can think of and to show them accurately in the hope that this guide may once again help you, the reader.